What they’re saying about Seahawks-Saints matchup

“As much as we hate hearing that talk, we brought it on ourselves,” New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees said of the Saints’ road struggles. “We came in (to playoff game in Philadelphia) with confidence.

“… It’s a new team. It really doesn’t matter what happened last year or in years past. We’re not living off the glory or mistakes of the past. We’re all about the here and now. We still can play better.”

New Orleans’ last playoff trip to the Pacific Northwest? The famous Marshawn Lynch “Beast Mode” performance, in which the Seattle back rumbled through the entire Saints defense for a 67-yard touchdown to help the 7-9 Seahawks upset the Saints.

The Saints’ visit to Seattle earlier this season was not any more enjoyable. The Seahawks raced out to a 17-0 lead and coasted to a 34-7 win with Drew Brees throwing for a paltry 147 yards, his lowest passing total since the 2006 season. To give his team a chance this week, Brees will have to be much better than that. He’ll also have to step up his game from the up-and-down effort he had in the 26-24 victory at Philadelphia on Saturday.

- Chris Burke, si.com

Is Seahawks’ Richard Sherman nervous?

While the Saints, with a late-season win over the Rams in St. Louis, would have wrapped up the No. 2 seed and a divisional-round playoff game at home, the team known for winning at the Superdome and struggling elsewhere can now craft the opposite narrative. They’ll get a chance (Saturday) to do just that with a return trip to Seattle, where guys like Richard Sherman surely will be sweating a bit beneath their bravado.

- Mike Florio, nbcsports.com

Saints’ Terron Armstead, Mark Ingram in key roles

The last time the Saints went into Seattle in early December, the Seahawks blew them out 34-7. The Saints didn’t even compete. But they went on the road and beat the Eagles on Saturday night, which shows they can win on the road, to earn another shot.

Key matchup: Saints left tackle Terron Armstead vs. Seahawks pass rushers — Armstead wasn’t starting the last time they met, but he has the past three weeks. He did a heck of a job against Trent Cole last week. Seattle will come at him in waves on passing downs.

Saints player on the spot: Running back Mark Ingram. Why? The Saints showed last week that he could help take the pressure off Drew Brees with the running game. They have to run it some to keep the Seattle pass rush from teeing off on Brees.

Seahawks player on the spot: Richard Sherman. He talks a big game, but against a passing attack like the Saints he has to back it up. He did in the first game.